ISLAMABAD, Oct 05 (INP): In a latest action, the Pakistani government has asked as many as 18 international aid agencies to leave the country immediately by shutting down all their operations. This was revealed by ActionAid, a foreign-funded agency working in the fields of education, poverty alleviation and human rights, on Thursday. The group’s country director Abdul Khaliq said that Ministry of Interior has sent them the expulsion order and no reason has been mentioned. ActionAid and 17 other international aid ogranisations were among those 27 INGOs which were ordered last year to close their offices and leave the country. The 18 agencies have filed an appeal with the interior ministry against the expulsion order. However they were told on Thursday that “all of the 18 organizations have submitted their appeal to the government of Pakistan and we have rejected the appeal of all of them”. The ministry has not granted them the right to appeal against the move, while they have been allowed to re-apply for registration after six months. ActionAid which operates from Johannesburg said, “Pakistan’s decision to shut down ActionAid and other International NGOs is a worrying escalation of recent attacks on civil society, academics and journalists”.